"P.J." is the nickname for the Air Force Special Operations Air-Sea Rescue Men - Para-Medics/Forward Air Control who are the ones who actually leave the aircraft to locate and retrieve downed pilots and crew, and call in support air power for the rescue in all environments.
The "Jolly Green Giant" is the helicopter used during the Viet Nam War Era that was large and strong enough to carry out a rescue mission in hostile areas.
The McDonal Phantom F4-D two-seater fighter plane is the operational aircraft for a select group of pilots who are referred to as he "Wild Weasels."
They fly in to seek out radar sites and Surface to Air Missile launch sites to clear the way for other aircraft to be able to do their mission.
To "dance with a SAM" is a specific maneuver an aircraft must execute in order not to be shot down by the missile. A "MIG" is a fighter aircraft built by the Russians and used against American forces over Viet Nam.

This is dedicated to those who put it all on the line for others.
It's for those who didn't beat the odds through no fault of their own, and gave full measure to the meaning of the motto "So that others may live."

Here's to you Bill Pitsenbarger and the other 18 Viet Nam era P.J.'s; here's to all of the 65 P.J.'s who gave their lives since 1947...
So That Others May Live...

And here's to those who returned having also put it all on the line when it counted.
*****************************
Ed Rech (Started 1970/Completed 1999)

"HOO-YA, P.J.!...OF FRIENDS WHEN IN NEED, "PASSED & PRESENT"

THEY DOWNED A "MIG", "DANCED WITH A SAM",
TRYING HARD TO MAKE IT HOME,
BUT IN THE FREY, THEIR BIRD OF PREY
LOST FEATHERS OF HER OWN.
LEAKIN' FUEL SO FAST, IT WON'T BE LONG
TILL THEY'LL BE FALLING LIKE A STONE,
ONE LAST CALL TO BASE AND PULL THAT RING,
THE GLASS BUBBLE IT IS BLOWN,
SOMEWHERE NORTH ALONG THAT MUDDY MEKONG RIVER.

FEET FOLLOW NOSE, LIKE A "HAIL MARY" PASS,
THEY'RE JUST FOOTBALLS ON THE SAIL,
DON'T REMEMBER MUCH, ALL THAT NOISE AND WIND,
THANK GOD THE CHUTES ARE FULL,
PLEASE DON'T LET THIS BE THE END OF A JUST AND VALIANT DUEL,
HANGIN' IN THE TREES, ONE WITH A BROKEN ARM,
BUT IT COULD BE WORSE,
DOWN IN THAT MUDDY POOL,
SOMEWHERE NORTH ABOVE THAT MUDDY MEKONG RIVER.

NOW THE WORD GOES OUT, "UP NORTH THERE'S A PHANTOM DOWN!"
AND P.J. KNOWS THERE'S TWO OF THEM, ONE OF MCDONALD PEDIGREE,
THE OTHER SELDOM SEEN, YET ALWAYS THERE,
AND REFERRED TO AS "CHARLIE,"
THE "JOLLY GREEN GIANT'S" UP, AND QUICKLY ON ITS WAY,
SOMEWHERE ALONG THAT MUDDY MEKONG RIVER.

AS YOU FLY ALONG FOR ONE BRIEF MOMENT,
YOUR THOUGHTS GO BACK TO THE DAY WHEN THE OTHERS AFTER WORK,
WERE OVER AT THE CLUB, BUT YOU RAN AND SWAM THOSE LAPS,
FOR YOU KNEW THIS DAY WOULD COME,
WHEN SOMEONE WOULD BE IN NEED PERHAPS,
OF WHAT YOU TRAINED TO BE.
"HOOO-YA, P.J.!" THE MISSION CRY REMAINS
"HOOO-YA, P.J.!" AND THE MOTTO IS SUSTAINED,
"SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE,"
SOMEWHERE ALONG THAT MUDDY MEKONG RIVER.

PILOT "HOLD YOUR HOVER," P.J.'S STANDING IN THE DOOR,
PILOT "HOLD YOUR HOVER," IT'S TIME TO GO ONCE MORE,
SO YOU RIDE THE BALL ON THAT THREAD OF STEEL,
THROUGH THAT CANOPY OF GREEN TO THE FOREST FLOOR BELOW,
YOU KNOW THERE'S NOT MUCH TIME TO FIND THE CREW AND GO,
BEFORE "CHARLIE" COMES, YES "CHARLIE'S" IN THE KNOW,
GOD KNOWS YOU'RE GIVING ALL YOU HAVE TO GIVE,
"SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE,"
SOMEWHERE NORTH ALONG THAT MUDDY MEKONG RIVER.

IT'S GETTING LATE, THE ENEMY IS NEAR, IN DISTANCE AND IN TIME,
LIFE'S 150 FEET ABOVE, DEATH'S JUST 50 YARDS BEHIND,
"FIRST IN - LAST OUT," FOR YOU, BUT YOU'VE KNOWN THAT ALL ALONG,
"PILOT HOLD YOUR HOVER," P.J.'S COMIN' OFF THE FLOOR,
"PILOT FLY FOR COVER," P.J.'S STANDIN' IN THE DOOR,
SOME SAY YOU CHEATED DEATH,
THEY SAY YOU BEAT THE ODDS ONCE MORE,
SOMEWHERE NORTH ALONG THAT MIGHTY MEKONG RIVER,
SOMEWHERE NORTH ALONG THAT MUDDY MEKONG SHORE.

NOW, YOUR HAIR IS GONE, YOUR WEIGHT HAS GROWN,
AND YOU KNOW YOU'LL NEVER DO,
ALL THOSE THINGS THAT YOU ONCE DID, NOW AT 52,
BUT TODAY A THOUSAND TRY TO BE JUST ONE,
WHO STANDS UP WITH THE REST,
TO TOTAL 272, THEY HAVE TO BE THE BEST,
ACROSS A WORLD-WIDE SCENE,
THEY ARE THE LEGACY OF THE SONS OF THE "JOLLY GREEN,"
YES, THEY STILL FLY, AND IT STILL TAKES ALL THEY HAVE TO GIVE...
AND MORE,

"HOOO-YA, P.J.!" "SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE,"
SOMEWHERE ON LAND OR SEA, OR ALONG SOME MIGHTY RIVER,
DOWN ON SOME FOREIGN SHORE.

I've always thought that Rudyard Kipling's "Tommy Atkins" expresses the soldier's uneasy relationship with society extremely well. Except for brief blips of patriotism, they are often looked down upon by the civilian masses. Support for the troops should be an abiding constant.

"I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind",
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind.

I know it ain't much but here's what I remember from Phan Rang AB, RVN. Korean, Phillipino, Vietnamese bands etc would come to the clubs and sing..........we gotta get outta this place, if it's the last thing we ever do.........etc, etc.......I forget the actual song.

Originally posted by J. Parker I know it ain't much but here's what I remember from Phan Rang AB, RVN. Korean, Phillipino, Vietnamese bands etc would come to the clubs and sing..........we gotta get outta this place, if it's the last thing we ever do.........etc, etc.......I forget the actual song.

Click to expand...

found it:

"We Got To Get Outta This Place"

In this dirty old part of the city,
where the sun refused to shine
people tell me there ain't no use in tryin'.

My girl you're so young and pretty,
And one thing I know is true,
You'll be dead before your time is due!
We gotta get out of this place
If it's the last thing we ever do
We gotta get out of this place
'cause girl, there's a better life for me and you

My girl you're so young and pretty,
And one thing I know is true,
You'll be dead before your time is due!

See my daddy in bed a-dyin'.
See his hair been turnin' grey.
He's been workin' and slavin' his life away.

We gotta get out of this place,
If it's the last thing we ever do.
We gotta get out of this place,
'cause girl, there's a better life for me and you.

In this dirty old part of the city,
where the sun refused to shine
people tell me there ain't no use in tryin'.

We gotta get out of this place,
If it's the last thing we ever do.
We gotta get out of this place,
'cause girl, there's a better life for me and you.

These are a few quotes that I like.. and they made me memorize at the Zoo..

"War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." ~ john stuart mill..

also,

It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

Oh, I have slipped the surly bounds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a thousand things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there,
I've chased the shouting wind along , and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

Originally posted by F14Scott HIGH FLIGHT
by
John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

Oh, I have slipped the surly bounds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a thousand things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hovering there,
I've chased the shouting wind along , and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

Click to expand...

Some times, when I read or remember "High Flight", memories of certain flights fill me with that unique excitement born of being "There".

Other times the tears come, brought on by memories of those who have truly "slipped the surly bounds of earth".

Richard Bach, in Stranger to the Ground wrote, For a pilot, flying is never dangerous, for a man must be a little bit insane or under the press of duty to willingly remain in a position that he truly considers dangerous. Airplanes occasionally crash, pilots are occasionally killed, but flying is not dangerous, it is interesting. This I consider an understatement.;f

Here are some quotes from a textbook:

MOTIVATION TO FLY

"Any assessment of a persons motivation to fly must deal with primal emotional issues. The attractions of flying involve feelings that seem to be present in all humans from birth, regardless of culture. Flying is a fascinating, dangerous activity that is both loved and feared (Bond, 1952): loved because of its grace and beauty, feared because of the chance of catastrophe..."

"Flying is more than a means of transportation. Aeromedical authors have acknowledged the importance of emotional factors in motivation to fly since aviation began. In addition to Andersons (1919) textbook already cited, Armstrong 's Principles and Practice of Aviation Medicine (1943, pp 2, 460ff.) compared the emotional aspects of aviation to a spiritual experience, noting that all religions portray flight as a divine gift (e.g., "going up" to heaven, angels with wings). John Gillespie Magee, Jr.s sonnet High Flight (1941) ends with the words "...Put out my hand, and touched the face of God." Military aviators, a notoriously reserved group, give each other plaques inscribed with this poem as awards.

I volunteered as a parachutist, fully realizing the hazard of my chosen service and by my thoughts and actions will always uphold the prestige, honor and high esprit-de-corps of parachute troops.

I realize that a parachutist is not merely a soldier who arrives by parachute to fight, but is an elite shock trooper and that his country expects him to march farther and faster, to fight harder, to be more self-reliant than any other soldier. Parachutists of all allied armies belong to this great brotherhood.

I shall never fail my fellow comrades by shirking any duty or training, but will always keep myself mentally and physically fit and shoulder my full share of the task, whatever it may be.

I shall always accord my superiors fullest loyalty and I will always bear in mind the sacred trust I have in the lives of the men I will accompany in to battle.

I shall show other soldiers by my military courtesy, neatness of dress and care of my weapons and equipment that I am a picked and well trained soldier.

I shall endeavor always to reflect the high standards of training and morale of parachute troops.

I shall respect the abilities of my enemies, I will fight fairly and with all my might, surrender is not in my creed.

I shall display a high degree of initiative and will fight on to my objective and mission, though I be the lone survivor.

I shall prove my ability as a fighting man against the enemy on the field of battle, not by quarreling with my comrades in arms or by bragging about my deeds.

I shall always realize that battles are won by an army fighting as a team, that I fight first and blaze the path into battle for others to follow and carry the battle on.

I belong to the finest unit in the world. By my actions and deeds alone, I speak for my fighting ability. I will strive to uphold the honor and prestige of my outfit, making my country proud of me and the unit to which I belong.

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